Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi
I’ve just been recently diagnosed with Autism by Psychiatry UK via NHS Right to choose., which in fairness was quite quick, just several months.
However, the question I now have is that I am still on my local NHS waiting list for an autism assessment, I have been on the list for 13 months and it has been indicated to me that the assessment should take place next month Feb 24, but I’m still unsure whether I should be going ahead with the second assessment.
If I do go ahead with the NHS assessment and they confirm an autism diagnosis, then this would give me access to potential further support by their own mental health professionals, which my Psychiatry UK diagnosis does not entitle me.
I am currently being supported by two local support organisations and a psychiatric nurse, however I have received several different contradictory opinions whether I should be going ahead with the second assessment.
One of these people asked me to consider what would happen if a second assessment concluded that I wasn’t on the ASC spectrum, which certainly caused me some degree of anxiety.
I would be grateful of any further support or advice regarding this.
It seems very strange that they didn't take you off the NHS list when you went for another option through 'right to choose'. The whole point of the scheme is that you choose to go elsewhere for treatment to shorten the waiting time. I don't think is is intended that you use both routes and go through the diagnostic process twice. By doing that you may be taking valuable NHS resources away from someone who is really struggling to gain a diagnosis.
I would be interested to hear the outcome of this as someone who has had a later in life diagnosis - it is totally unacceptable that following our diagnosis, we are not been given post diagnostic support which needs to become a basic legal requirement and our basic legal rights and entitlements to same must be protected in law - how are we supposed to move on with our lives without this? Focusing on children with autism is all very well, but when adults with autism are ignored these kinds of shortcomings in the system must be robustly challenged - we must develop a zero tolerance and zero patience approach to this and lack of funding is something that we must not let them get away with that either, no excuses - they must be called out on this - we are already facing sanctions in jobcentres when claiming universal credit because we are incorrectly presumed to be “lazy” and “not wanting to work” based on false assumptions, prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes and misconceptions and the lack of proper support for autistic people must be challenged in the courts, in order to force through legislative change
Sorry too for the confusion, I've been assured by the local NHS service that if I am diagnosed as having autism by themselves,, that I will be entitled to post diagnosis services from them. I've also met several adults in the local support group I attend who have received post diagnostic suppport from them.
Sorry, I mean services for after you’ve been diagnosed
Yes I am 54 yo male and definitely on NHS waiting list for an autism assessment, I've spoken to the staff several times in the last year to track my progress in the queue.
Are you sure there are any other NHS services provided to adults in your area?
Many of us have found that the NHS is only interested in children.